Set in 1871, this is the
story of Daniel Hobart, a furniture maker who escapes from the South to the
Rockies to heal from the death of his wife and young son at the end of the
Civil War. Since October he has been building a dollhouse for reasons unknown even
to him. Just as he’s finished, he goes to town and gets caught in an avalanche.
Buried under snow, he hears a child crying. When he’s rescued, he asks about
the child he heard but he’s told there was no child. Back at his cabin, he hears
the same child, this time seeing the young girl asking if he’s going to come
for her—a girl who mysteriously disappears.
When Daniel learns that the
beautiful young widow Lacy Ellis lost a young daughter a year ago who fits the
description of the girl who appeared to him, Daniel goes looking for the child.
He thinks she may have been taken with a wagon train moving west. Lacy decides
to go with him, believing this may be one last chance to find her daughter.
Along the way, much happens as Daniel solves the mystery and he and Lacy fall
in love.
This is a well-written story
that will capture you from the beginning. It definitely has elements that take
it into the supernatural but they seem to fit. Warner depicts the West with the
knowledge of one who has lived there and she brings the snow-laden Christmas
season to the reader with enough realism to have you reaching for a sweater. Daniel
is a very worthy, yet wounded hero. The ending is heartwarming.
A great holiday read--and as
a novella, a short one. I recommend it.
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